"This kid was to catch a body" - Felipe dos Santos loses fight but wins hearts with incredible UFC 293 scrap against Manel Kape 

Felipe dos Santos and Manel Kape just finished locking horns in one of the most action-packed fights of the UFC 293 card. The two flyweight contenders shed their blood, sweat and tears in a bout that was risky for both men. For Felipe dos Santos, his undefeated record was on the line in his promotional debut.

Meanwhile, Manel Kape risked losing his #10 ranking in the divisional hierarchy with a potential loss to a UFC debutant. While the Angolan-Portuguese sensation emerged victorious to extend his run of consecutive victories to four in a row, it was a hard-fought battle that did more for his opponent's reputation.

Felipe dos Santos' valiant effort evoked comparisons to former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira. Despite losing, the gutsy Brazilian earned praise, especially due to his youth, at only 22 years old. Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill took to X/Twitter to express his admiration:

"This kid was a to catch a body on DWCS!!! Coming in short notice this kid has heart and a solid chin definitely keeping an eye out!!!#dosantos"

Middleweight contender Marvin Vettori, who has twice fought pay-per-view headliner Israel Adesanya, described both dos Santos and Kape as "great" fighters:

"Dos Santos real one Manel is just great"

Meanwhile, UFC welterweight/middleweight Chris Curtis praised the bout as a potential Fight of the Night candidate:

"Give them 50k, Dos Santos earned 50k."

One comment, from retired UFC welterweight Ben Askren, praised the fight as a sign of how much room for growth dos Santos has, despite the loss:

"Damn that was a fun fight!!! Dos Santos got beat tonight but he has a bright future. Kape is 🔥🔥 30-27"

A collage of reactions to the fight can be seen below:

Fighter reactions